Autonomous Cars – “The Mother Of All AI Projects.”

Autonomous cars may seem to be the last thing on Apple Computer’s to do list, but the quote above, “Mother of all AI projects,” came just recently from Apple’s CEO Tim Cook. What he meant was that success in creating self-driving vehicles is an AI-complete problem in which progress will demand simultaneous and continuous investment and improvement in AI systems and robotics to eventually reach the finish line. There is good reason to believe that Apple could be successful in the pursuit of self-driving vehicles. Modern vehicles are becoming more and more like computers. Their repair and maintenance is more and more like fixing a computer or updating software. And vehicles are becoming more connected. Apple has been thinking about the opportunities afforded by the computerization of driving, the need to make usable interfaces, and the challenges in developing an automobile operating system of the future. Apple already has its foot in many cars today through its CarPlay system, which brings an iOS interface to the dashboard. All things considered, they may have a great deal to contribute and some competitive advantages to entering the race.